Genesis Vol 3.pdf - College Press

SOJOURN IN THE NEGEB 20: 1-21 : 34
facts,) The view that Abraham’s statement in v. 12 is
directly related to his statement in v. 11, is entirely plaus-
ible; that is, as if Abraham was saying, “I spoke the truth
about moral corruption in this place, because if the people
had really teen godfearing, they would have asked whether
Sarah was also my wife, since one could marry his half-
sister from the one father.” The statement of the text
indicates clearly that Sarah was her husband’s half -sister,
ie., Terah’s daughter by another wife than Abraham’s
mother. “On the earlier levels of the development of the
human race such closer relationships of those married were
often necessary and so not abhorred as they came to be
later. The Mosaic law would not allow such connections;
see Lev. 18:9, 11; 20:17; Deut. 27:22. Whom Terah had
first married or perhaps married after he had married
Abraham’s mother, we cannot determine” (EG, 5 89-590).
(7) Abinzelecb’s Response (vv. 14-16). The king
carried out the divine instructions. He gave Sarah tack to
Abraham with a liberal present of sheep, cattle and serv-
ants, and gave the patriarch permission to dwell wherever
he pleased in his, Abimelech’s, land. He gave Abraham
also a thousand shekels of silver: this was usually of the
character of a purchase-price for a wife; here, however, it
seems to have teen a compensation for injury unwittingly
inflicted. To Sarah he said, “It is for thee a covering of
the eyes,” that is, not for a veil which she was to procure
for this amount, but as an atoning gift. “In reskect of
all thou art righted”: the general sense seems to be that
Sarah’s honor was now fully rehabilitated.
(8) Abraham’s Prayer (vv. 17-18). The patriarch
forthwith interceded in prayer for Abimelech and his
people (cf. his intercessory prayer for SodAm and Go-
morrah), As a result all the members of the king’s court
were now made capable of resuming their marital relations:
coitzLs which had been temporarily suspended was now
restored. This entire incident obviously was for the purpose
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